Campaign of the Month:
February 2016

Rise of the Durnskald

Plaguestone

Category:

other

Description:

Plaguestones are lesser artifacts which were originally created by the Windborn family in Crinoa. They are a physical manifestation of The Plane of Death, deepest black and about the size of a large fist (on average). Plaguestones are rare but non-Crinoan Plaguestones have been found.

Plaguestones have some rather interesting effects:

Souls cannot depart within the general vicinity of a Plaguestone (a 30’ radius, large stones have a larger radius). Anything that dies within that radius is raised the next round as an intelligent undead (necropolitan or ghoul typically) with the original owner’s soul (and thus not always evil) being what is animating the body.

All dead bodies (that are at least 50% intact) within the radius are raised, pulling evil spirits from the The Plane of Death to animate the bodies.

Touching a Plaguestone inflicts 1d4 negative levels unless the victim can make a DC 20 (higher for larger stones) fortitude save each round they are in contact with the stone.

Plaguestones may only be destroyed in a few ways, the easiest (and most destructive) way is to submerge it completely in holy water. The Plaguestone will immediately blast apart with such concussive force that it destroys the Plaguestone and anything within the radius it affects (dealing 10d10 Force dmg + 6d6 Negative Energy dmg, ignores hardness). Plaguestones may also be destroyed by hurling them through a Deathgate or some other portal to The Plane of Death where they simply wink out of existence.

Creating a Plaguestone is an entirely evil act, requiring the creator to perform a two week long ritual and to expend 100,000 gp in materials. Several of the materials are difficult to come by and the ritual to pull the essence of death that forms the Plaguestone requires a willing sacrificial volunteer to act as a temporary conduit to The Plane of Death.